Since June 6, severe storms and flooding have impacted Central Europe, leading to economic and insured losses in the hundreds of millions of euros, as reported by Aon.
From June 7-9, heavy rainfall in eastern Austria caused flash floods, resulting in extensive damage. In Deutschfeistritz, Styria, 100 mm of rain fell in a few hours, triggering a rare 1-in-300-year flood event.
This flood swept away cars and inundated numerous homes. On June 8, localized flash flooding also occurred in parts of Burgenland.
The situation led to a state of emergency in Hartberg-Fürstenfeld County, Styria. Between June 8-9, Styrian fire services conducted over 980 operations, with around 130 in Graz alone.
The region also faced multiple hailstorms. On June 7, hail up to 6 cm in diameter fell between Deutschlandsberg in Styria and Maribor in Slovenia.
More hailstorms struck on June 9 between Vienna and Wiener Neustadt, as well as around Hartberg and Oberwart. One storm damaged an aircraft en route to Vienna just before landing.
Other countries also reported hail and wind-related damages. On June 9, a tornado in Narda, Hungary, damaged several houses.
Eastern Slovenia, particularly around Maribor, experienced significant hail damage. Hailstorms also affected parts of western and southern Slovakia.
The Balkan region suffered from damaging winds and large hail up to 5 cm in diameter in Romania. Severe thunderstorms in Bulgaria caused motor and crop damage with hailstones as large as 7 cm in diameter.
Southern Germany, recovering from recent floods, faced additional hail damage on June 8-9.
Overall, economic and insured losses from the storms across multiple European countries are estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of euros. A particularly costly episode occurred in Eastern Austria on June 8-9, with additional losses from hailstorms in Germany, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
Moody’s RMS estimates that insured losses in Germany from the Central Europe Floods will likely range from €2 bn to €3 bn.
Heavy rainfall between May 28 and June 3 caused significant flooding in central Europe, especially in Germany. Initial flooding affected smaller rivers in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The Danube River also reached flood stage as water accumulated downstream.
